The King Is Dead -- Long Live the King

IT WAS 20 years ago today that Elvis Presley died of a massive drug overdose in Memphis, and the King of Rock 'n' Roll is bigger now than he ever was alive.

Since his death on Aug. 16, 1977, Elvis has achieved a mythic status beyond anyone presently alive in show business, sports, politics or public life. Among the living, only Pope John Paul II has the wardrobe and charisma that even approaches the gilded memory of Elvis in his prime.

Pop culture exegetes say Elvis' great contribution was as a cross-over rockabilly artist who introduced white audiences to black music. His early hits, "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel," and "Blue Suede Shoes" had a black rhythm-and-blues flavor that changed rock forever.

But that explains only part of his mystique. Even at rest in Graceland's Meditation Garden, Elvis retains a star quality that draws 800,000 reverent visitors a year. He has 480 active fan clubs, and his memory has inspired a half-dozen minor religions with him as the central figure.

Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. does $75 million a year on his name. There have been more than 600 books written about him, a billion Elvis albums sold, and scholars are studying him as a cultural phenomenon.

There are an estimated 250,000 Elvis impersonators worldwide. Pollsters say 25 percent of Americans have purchased Elvis memorabilia in the past 20 years and 5 percent don't believe he is really dead. (Live sightings of a 62-year-old Elvis -- gray-haired or bald -- are not infrequent. He is often eating pork rinds at 7-Eleven's; sometimes UFOs are involved.)

About 70,000 fans who have accepted his passing thronged to Memphis this week to remember and celebrate the King, his life and music in an eight-day extravaganza called "Elvis '97," or "Death Week."

Chronicle staff writer Sam Whiting, in Mississippi covering anniversary-related activities, reports that the Elvis legend is booming and so is Memphis because of it.

Sold-out Elvis-related events included 18 concerts and dances, nine lectures, 12 auctions, a weeklong conference, six tours and 20 other diversions, including the Elvis Impersonator Extravaganza.

"Anybody who can capitalize on the Elvis icon is working overtime, as are those who live off Elvis kitsch and morbid fascination," Whiting observed.

Yet none of the performances, celebrations, lectures and seminars has explained why Elvis Presley remains such a figure of idolatry so long after his death.

He was a country boy who hit the pinnacles of superstardom but never lost the common touch. He was a patriot who served in the Army without complaint. He was loyal and generous to his friends, he could sing like hell and he was good to his mother.